Belt-buckle.



. #fol 627422111@ Patented June' 27,1899;-

Ef., mgncHELL.

BLEU? BUCKLE. (mum. ma mv. s, w91.)

(No1: ladnl) operator to press them toward one another to vto the belt looking at it from the rear.

UNITED STATES l ATENT d Eric.

FRANK H. MITCHELL, oE NEW YORK, N. Y., AssIGNoR To WILLIAM H. .IUDjsoN, or sAME PLACE, AND sTErHEN v'. ALBRo, oEwHrrE- PLAINS.,

NEY YORK.

BELT-BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 627,701, dated June 27, wee. Application tiled November 2, 1897. g Serial No. 657.154. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

'Be it known that I, FRANK H. MITCHELL, of New York, vin the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Belt-Buckles, ot which the following is a specification.`

My invention relates to an improvement in belt-buckles in which provision is made for removing and adjusting the buckle-front at pleasure.

A. practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is a view of the buckle as applied Fig. 2 is a top plan View. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 represent, respectively, in detail rear views of the buckle-front, the hook-piece, and the slotted orsocket piece which go to make up the complete fastening. Fig. is a front View of the hook-piece. Fig. 7 is a view of the bucklefront and hook-piece in vertical oentralsection from front to rear along the line 7 7 of Fig l; showing the fastening-dogs for retaining the buckle-front in their locking position. Y Fig. S is a similar view of the buckle-front, showing the fastening-dogs in their releasing position; and Fig. 9 is a similar view of the hook-piece, showing the catches in position to receive the front-piece.

The front-piece of the buckle is denoted by A. It may be of any suitable design and of any material adapted for the purpose. It is provided on its rear side with a housing B, shown in the present instanceas of oblong rectangular form and provided withl a pair of openings b b' on its rear face to-admit a pair of catches on the hook-piece of the belt, as Will be hereinafter more particularly described. Within the housing B a pair of fastening-dogs C C are located in such a manner as to permit them to reciprocate toward and away from each other in the longitudinal direction of the housing, their tailpieces c c' being extended beyond the ends of the housing B for the purpose of permitting them to be grasped by the thumb and nger of the release them from the catches. The fastening-dogs C C are normally held toward the opposite ends of the housing in position to piece D, as shown in Fig. l. The buckle-front .from in front of the openings until the catches have passed inwardly beyond the noses c3 c4, when the latter will spring in opposite directions and engage the lips of the catches.

The hook-piece which is to be attached to one end ofthe belt is denoted as a whole by D. It is provided with an elongated eye d for the reception of the end of the belt', with a hook d at its edge opposite that to which the belt is secured, and with an intermediate rearwardly-depressed portion d2, adapted to receive the housing B on the buckle-front. From the depressed portion d2 there extend forwardly a pair of catches (denoted by d3 (Z4) for entering the openings t b' in the housing and engaging the fastening-dogs when the buckle-front is pressed rearwardly with its vhousing in the depressed portion d2 of the hook-piece.

The socket or slotted piece'which coacts with the hook-piece to secure the ends of the belt together is denoted as a whole by E andv is provided with an elongated eye c for the reception of the opposite end of the belt and with an elongatedslot or eye e for the reception of the hook d.

The belt is denoted by F. In practice the belt may be iirst secured to the body of the wearer by hooking the piece E onto the hook- 9'o A may then be placed in position by simply placing it in front of the hook portion D with its housing in the depression d2 and pressing it rearwardly to force the catches d3 d4 into the openings b b' in the housing B. When it 95 lis desired to remove the belt, the piece E may be first detached from the hook-piece D, and

the buckle-front may then be removed from the hook-piece D by pressing inwardly on the tailpieces c c of the fastening-dogs.

The above-described structure provides for utilizing a handsome and expensive buckle- IOO front in connection with various colors and' designs of belt, thereby/'making constant use of the same expensive buckle-front in connection with a variety of belts.

It is obvious that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly to the structure herein shown and described; but

1. The combination with a hook-piece for engaging one end of a belt and means forsecuring the opposite end of a belt to the hookpece, the said hook-piece being provided with a catch projecting from it, of a buckle-front independent of and removable bodily from the said hook and securing means and provided with a dog for locking the buckle-front to and releasing it from the catch on the hookpiece, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a hook-piece for engaging one end of a belt and means for attaching the opposite end of a belt to the hookpiece, the said hook-piece being provided with catches projecting from it, of a buckle-front independent of and removable bodily from the said hook and securing means and provided With a housing at its rear and springactuated dogs Within the housing for engaging the catches and locking the buckle-front to the hook-piece, substantially as set forth.

FRANK I-I. MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

FREDK. I-IAYNES, C. S. SUNDGREN. 

